A number of theories exist as to the origin of the game of poker. It is said by some authorities that Poker originates from the ancient Persian game of As-nas. The modern form of poker with its innumerable, different forms can be traced to the European game of Primero which was played with four cards per person and the cards were ranked in a complicated points system. In England, Primero was overtaken in popularity by a game called Brag of which there were many forms: three-card, five-card, seven-card and nine-card versions, the most popular being the three-card stud version. Wild cards were often used in Brag and were known as Braggers.
In modern casinos the game of poker takes one of three forms: live or cardroom poker where players compete against one another and the House charges a levy either in the form of a participation fee or as a percentage of winning hands; electronic video machines offering various games of poker, in particular, five card draw poker; and poker played as a “banker's game” either where the game involves players in contest with the dealer's hand or where the object is for players to obtain a hand based on hierarchical poker rankings, or games which combine the above two objects.
Live or cardroom poker games commonly available include Texas Hold'Em, Omaha, and seven-card stud. These games require considerable skill and a relatively large bankroll to have any expectation of success. As a result, most novice players avoid cardroom games.
Casinos have attempted to address this concern by providing poker-style table games that are house-banked and that require little expertise. Typical examples of such games are Caribbean Stud™, U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,553 and Let It Ride™, U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,430. Both games are based on five-card stud. In Caribbean Stud™, for example, the players' hands are pitted against the dealer's hand. In Let It Ride™, the sole objective is to form a winning hand based on a set of odds and a hierarchy of poker hand rankings.
Another example of a house-banked poker game is Three Card Poker™, U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,916. In Three Card Poker™, each player may place an ante wager, a “pairs plus” wager, or both wagers. The ante wager is a bet on the player's hand against the dealer's hand and the “pairs plus” wager is a bet on the ranking of the player's hand against a schedule of winning hands. After examining his hand, the player may fold and forfeit his ante wager or continue play by placing a mandatory play wager equal to the ante wager. This is often referred to as a “bet or fold” decision. To be rewarded on both the ante and play wagers two conditions must be met: (1) the dealer must have a qualifying hand of a Queen high or better and (2) the player's hand must outrank the dealer's hand. If the dealer hand does not qualify, the player wins an even money award on the ante wager and the play wager is returned. If the dealer hand qualifies and outranks the player hand, the player loses both the ante wager and the play wager. If the player has made the “pairs plus” wager and his hand includes a winning hand based on a schedule of winning hands, he receives a payout listed on the schedule.